Bodycam Footage Shows 15-Year-Old Being Pepper Sprayed By Police

Officers were attempting to restrain the girl after a traffic accident.

The Hagerstown Police Department has released bodycam footage of officers attempting to restrain a 15-year-old girl before pepper spraying her.

According to the police, the officers who stopped the girl were trying to restrain her when she would not cooperate after a traffic accident. The teenager was found to be at fault after hitting a vehicle with her bike. Officers stated that the girl "assaultive" during the arrest, which is why she was pepper sprayed.

The teenager hasn't been identified, but she has been charged with disorderly conduct, two counts of second-degree assault, failure to obey a traffic device, and possession of marijuana.

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ABC News shared footage from a police bodycam that shows the officers trying to get the girl's information and hold her at the scene before she tries to bike away. The altercation turns violent as the police struggle to restrain her and get her information. Eventually, police carry the girl to the cop car before pepper spraying her.

The Hagerstown Police Department stands by their officers with Hagerstown Police Chief Victor Brito telling reporters, "Officers throughout this country and our community are often placed in very difficult situations each and every day. It's their job to act in the interest in our community...The officers used the appropriate amount of force to detain a juvenile who was not being cooperative."